Spirits are high at businesses in UF Innovation Square. Following the recent success of some neighboring tenants, established businesses and entrepreneurial ventures within the area see a bright future for themselves and the Innovation Square community as a whole. Just last week, MonkeyWish.com, announced that it will partner with social planning website giant eVite in a move that will result in adding up to 40 new jobs in the area.

“There is a great sense of synergy and momentum right now at Innovation Square,” said Kristi Taylor, CEO of MonkeyWish.com. “With so many brilliant minds working and interacting, huge success at Innovation Square is inevitable.”

When Sears Holdings and MindTree decided earlier in the year to find a home for themselves at office space within Innovation Square, the Gainesville community took notice. In the past few weeks, there have been a number of notable events taking place within Innovation Square that have current organizations in the area excited about the future. Gainesville tech start-up Feathr made splashes last month after receiving a sizeable investment to develop an app for business conferences. Weeks later, mobile solutions and app developer Mobiquity announced its intent to operate in the innovation development.

"It's not just a great engineering community,” said Bill Seibel, founder and CEO of Mobiquity, when talking to Gainesville’s TV20 about the company’s move to Innovation Square. “Gainesville is a place where students would like to work and live after they graduate. It's a city that’s so attractive and warm and welcoming, and is easy for us to relocate people here."

As well-established companies continue migrating to the 40-acre science and technology community, the smaller entrepreneurial ventures in the area feed of that momentum.

“When established companies decide to move into commercial real estate at Innovation Square, they bring jobs, economic growth, more credibility, and attention to the area,” said Aaron Duthie, Chief Operations Officer at Apps for Docs, a company in Innovation Square that seeks to revolutionize the way doctors make vital decisions and access patient information. “There’s a feeling of upward momentum in the area, and it’s motivating to be around that kind of excitement.”

Commercial properties within the Innovation Square community are populated by an extensive variety of different types of organizations. The science and technology community has been praised by its residents for providing them with an environment that allows the companies to interact and develop relationships. Businesses in the area cite their neighbors’ success as their primary source of motivation.

“UF Innovation Square is truly unique and is situated to become a tech development destination,” Taylor said. “Our community and the University of Florida have brilliantly master-planned Innovation Square and are implementing an environment to cultivate development. Any success, including ours, achieved at Innovation Square breeds more success.”

MonkeyWish.com’s Taylor further mentioned that as neighbors in Innovation Square, companies are physically close to one another. They have also, however, become the emotional support for one another.

“We are all like one big family working hard to help each other succeed,” Taylor said. “Hopefully, our successes can be testimony to the amazing culture that UF Innovation Square provides.”

About Innovation Square

The vision for Innovation Square is an interactive community promoting the stimulation of discovery and the growth of a superior quality of life. Innovation Square is embodied by a planned 40-acre development with over five million square feet of high-tech offices, residences, shops, restaurants and more that connect the University of Florida with downtown Gainesville. Innovation Square seeks to accelerate the development of ideas by encouraging different disciplines to interact, ultimately changing the way we live, work, and play. For more about Innovation Square, visit http://innovationsquare.ufl.edu/.

Virginia is a graduate from the University of Florida's College of Design Construction and Planning with a degree in Sustainability and the Built Environment, and a minor in Urban Regional Planning. Virginia joined the Front Street team in 2011, as an intern. Upon graduation, Virginia joined the Front Street team full-time as the Director of Client Services. Ms. MacKoul’s addition furthers Front Street’s continued growth and expansion within Gainesville and other North Central Florida markets. She was promoted to Director of Marketing in 2014 and now manages the firm’s team of interns and oversees all marketing and branding activity. Virginia was born in Boston and moved to Lee County, Florida in 1997. Virginia graduated her high school's International Baccalaureate program and started at the University of Florida with a focus on Architecture. Virginia shares Front Street's passion of giving back to the community and those in need. Virginia's hobbies include photography, cooking, football, movies, music, and spending time with her dog, Brinkley.

The Latest

August is already here! We're pleased to share all that this year has brought. We wanted to take a moment to reflect on all you've helped us accomplish this year. This month also marks 15 years for Front Street Commercial Real Estate Group. Thanks so much to all of our clients, friends, family, and fans for all of the support over the years. We couldn't have done it without you! Here's to 15 more years and many more! Here's a few of our announcements, featured listings, most recent closings, top news stories for the month, and upcoming events!

Seeing all the growth, development, and new concepts arising in Tallahassee can provide endless opportunities for small businesses and large businesses alike. How will your company adapt and expand within the rapid growth and changes in the market? Front Street is here to help you with all of your commercial real estate needs. Our mission is to impact our community, clients, and industry by doing commercial real estate differently.

Here at Front Street, we consistently strive to bring new restaurants and new-to-market concepts into the areas we do business. Whether it is finding a location for a new business, or finding another location for a growing business, we always work to provide the best quality service to our clients!